Career Decision-Making in China: A Moderated Mediation Model of Self Efficacy, Personal Utility, and Subjective Norms

Career decision-making among university students is increasingly shaped by both psychological beliefs and sociocultural expectations, particularly in collectivist contexts such as China. Grounded in Social Cognitive Theory, Expectancy Value Theory, and the Theory of Planned Behavior, this study proposes and tests a moderated mediation model explaining how self-efficacy and personal utility influence career choice decisions through support-seeking behavior, with subjective norms acting as a moderator. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 368 undergraduates from public universities in Liaoning Province, China. Data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The results indicate that self-efficacy and personal utility significantly predict support-seeking behavior, which in turn has a strong positive effect on career choice decisions. Support seeking also partially mediates the relationships between the psychological predictors and career outcomes. Furthermore, subjective norms significantly moderate the relationship between support seeking and career choice, strengthening this link under higher perceived social expectations. These findings highlight the integrated influence of personal agency and social context in shaping students’ career decisions in collectivist societies. The study contributes to career development literature by validating a culturally responsive moderated mediation model and offers practical implications for career counseling, family engagement, and policy design in higher education.